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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Maintaining healthy DNA delays menopause An international study of nearly 70,000 women has identified more than 40 regions of the human genome involved in governing at what age a woman goes through menopause. The study found that two-thirds of those regions contain genes that act to keep DNA healthy. It also found the first genetic evidence of a link between the timing of menopause and breast cancer, corroborating previous conclusions from observational evidence.

How more women with earlier Cesarean sections can give birth vaginally next time In many countries, caesarean section is routinely used if the woman previously gave birth by caesarean section. Doctors and midwives in countries with a high rate of vaginal births after caesarean sections have for the first time been asked in a study to give their views on how to increase the percentage of vaginal births.

Biomarkers in maternal blood can identify pregnant women with lupus at low risk for adverse outcomes Pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus, are at higher risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preeclampsia, placental insufficiency, fetal death, miscarriages, and other complications. A consortium of top researchers reports that monitoring specific angiogenic biomarkers in maternal blood during early pregnancy can successfully predict patients who will likely have normal pregnancies.This will enable physicians to identify, counsel, and manage high risk patients at an early stage of pregnancy.

Predicting arrhythmias so as to prevent them Researchers have discovered how to predict some cardiac arrhythmias several steps before they even occur. It's a finding that could lead to an improved cardiac device, with equipment designed to detect when arrhythmias are about to occur and then act to prevent them.

Unsaturated fats, high-quality carbs lower risk of heart disease While eliminating saturated fats can improve heart health.It makes a difference which foods are used in their place. A study shows that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats and high-quality carbohydrates has the most impact on reducing the risk of heart disease. When saturated fats were replaced with highly processed foods, there was no benefit.

Toxins found in ice cream discovered Although 2015 will not go down as an ice-cream summer, the world's favourite frosty treat has just become a little bit safer, thanks to an innovative Scottish food safety company which has contributed to an important new test. Test kits made by Glasgow-based R-Biopharm Rhône have been crucial to an investigation into contaminated cow's milk in ice cream.

Thousands of directly hack-able hospital devices found exposed Thousands of critical medical systems – including Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines and nuclear medicine devices – that are vulnerable to attack have been found exposed online. Security researchers Scott Erven and Mark Collao found, for one example, a "very large" unnamed US healthcare organization exposing more than 68,000 medical systems.

New tech automatically 'tunes' powered prosthetics while walking When amputees receive powered prosthetic legs, the power of the prosthetic limbs needs to be tuned by a prosthetics expert so that a patient can move normally -- but the prosthetic often needs repeated re-tuning. Biomedical engineering researchers have developed software that allows powered prosthetics to tune themselves automatically, making the devices more functionally useful and lowering the costs associated with powered prosthetic use.

Ancestral background can be determined by fingerprints It is possible to identify an individual's ancestral background based on his or her fingerprint characteristics, new research shows -- a discovery with significant applications for law enforcement and anthropological research

Early life infections may be a risk factor for Celiac disease in childhood Children with frequent infections in the first 18 months of life have a slightly increased risk of later developing celiac disease compared with children who have few infections, conclude researchers. Celiac disease is an immune-mediated disease triggered by gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. In recent decades there has been a marked increase in the prevalence of celiac disease and it is believed that one per cent of the population in Western countries.

Blocking light improves preemies' survival rates The survival rate of preemies born between 26 to 31 weeks of gestation is improved by blocking light from reaching the intravenously-fed infused nutritious mixture they depend on for survival.

Patients with cancers of the mid- and lower throat may have higher survival rates if their initial treatment includes surgery..

Cabozantinib improves survival in patients with advanced kidney cancer Patients with advanced kidney cancer live for nearly twice as long without their disease progressing if they are treated with cabozantinib, a drug that inhibits the action of tyrosine kinases -- enzymes that function as an 'on' or 'off' switch in many cellular processes, including cancer.

Significant genetic differences between breast cancers that relapse and those that do not: Researchers have taken an important step towards understanding why some primary breast cancers return while others do not. The European Cancer Congress will hear that genetic factors driving the cancers that recur are different from those found in the cancers that do not. This discovery could enable doctors to identify patients at high risk of their cancer returning and to target the genes responsible for recurrence when the cancer is first diagnosed in order to prevent its return.

Attacking acute myeloid leukemia A team of researchers has demonstrated that a molecule isolated from sea sponges and later synthesized in the lab, can halt the growth of acute myeloid leukemia cells and could open the door to a new treatment for leukemia.

Vaccination on the horizon for severe viral infection of the brain Researchers reveal possible new treatment methods for a rare, usually fatal brain disease. Thanks to their discovery that specific antibodies play a key role in combating the viral infection, a vaccine against the disease 'progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy' could now be developed.

Tools for illuminating brain function make their own light Researchers have developed tools that could allow neuroscientists to put aside the fiber optic cable, and use a glowing protein from coral as the light source instead. A variant on the optogenetics technique gives neuroscientists the choice of activating neurons with light or an externally supplied chemical.

Our brain's secrets to success? We owe our success -- both as a species and as individuals -- to features of our brain that are just now beginning to be understood. One new study suggests how our primate brain's outer mantle, or cortex, was able to expand as much as 1,000-fold through evolution. Other links personal success -- such as high education and income levels and life satisfaction -- to increased chatter between key brain areas when we're not doing anything in particular.

Chimpanzee personality linked to anatomy of brain structures Chimpanzees' personality traits are linked to the anatomy of specific brain structures, according to researchers. The researchers studied 107 chimpanzees' brains using magnetic resonance image (MRI) scans and also assessed each chimpanzee's personality by using a 41-item personality questionnaire. They found chimpanzees who were rated as higher for the personality traits of openness and extraversion had greater gray-matter volumes in the anterior cingulate cortex in both hemispheres of the brain

Disruption of brain-blood barrier might influence progression of Alzheimer’s More and more data from preclinical and clinical studies strengthen the hypothesis that immune system-mediated actions contribute to and drive pathogenesis in Alzheimer’s disease. New insights suggest that A? indeed induces a strong inflammatory response, thereby destroying an important but often neglected brain barrier, called the blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier. Disruption of this blood-CSF barrier disturbs brain homeostasis and might negatively affect disease progression. Strikingly, these effects could be blocked in the presence of a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor

Infants exposed in the womb to a drug used to treat HIV and reduce the transmission of HIV from mother to child, may have lower bone mineral content than those exposed to other anti-HIV drugs, according to a National Institutes of Health study.

Researchers found that pregnant women who received the drug tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in their third trimester gave birth to babies whose bone mineral content was 12 percent lower than that of infants who were not exposed to the drug in the uterus. Proper mineral content helps strengthen normal bones. The Study appears in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

“At this point, we can say that those who care for pregnant women with HIV and their children should be aware that prescribing tenofovir to pregnant women could be a concern for their infants’ bones,” said George K. Siberry, M.D., the first author of the study and medical officer with NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Although the study authors described the results as concerning, they cautioned against any changes in the use of tenofovir in pregnant women. The drug has proved successful as part of drug regimens that treat HIV in pregnant women, and often is used to prevent HIV transmission to infants. The researchers called for additional studies to understand bone health and development among children born to women who took tenofovir during their pregnancies.

“Families should keep in close touch with their physicians to monitor their child’s bone development,” Dr. Siberry added.

In the study, researchers enrolled a total of 143 infants at 14 sites across the United States from 2011 to 2013. Of these participants, 74 were exposed to tenofovir in the uterus, while 69 were given other anti-HIV drugs. Researchers used special, low-radiation X-ray scans, called DXA scans to measure bone mineral content within the first four weeks of birth.

The researchers then compared the bone mineral content of the two groups and found that the group of infants whose mothers took tenofovir, on average, had lower bone mineral content than the group of infants whose mothers were given other kinds of anti-HIV drugs. However, the researchers do not know whether the lower bone mineral content of the children in the tenofovir group is abnormal and will increase the risk of fractures. Dr. Siberry added that it is also unknown whether children can regain bone mineral content as they get older.

The study authors point out that tenofovir use has been associated with bone loss in adults and older children. A few NIH-funded studies have found that adults who used tenofovir were at increased risk for bone fracture.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Shigella on-the rise 150 cases confirmed in Kansas City. The Kansas City Health Department along with other medical professionals urged residents to use recommended prevention methods including washing hands with soap and water and using paper towels to dry them, September 28 after the number of reported Shigella cases in the city rose to 150

22 Salmonella cases reported in North Dakota Officials with the North Dakota Department of Health announced Monday, Sept. 28, 2015, that they are investigating an increase in reported cases of salmonellosis, an infection caused by Salmonella bacteria. The illness can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting and fever. Since July 20, 22 cases of Salmonella Thompson have been reported in North Dakota. Because the infections...

Warning about THC-infused capsules A food safety advisory for a THC-infused product manufactured in Aspen, CO, was announced this past Friday by Denver’s Department of Environmental Health. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis (marijuana). The department issued the warning on Friday, Sept. 25, 2015, for RX Green’s Autopilots capsules. Consumers who have purchased Rx Green’s Autopilots Omega 3...

Chemical exposure linked to rising diabetes, obesity risk Emerging evidence ties endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure to two of the biggest public health threats facing society -- diabetes and obesity. EDCs contribute to health problems by mimicking, blocking or otherwise interfering with the body's natural hormones. By hijacking the body's chemical messengers, EDCs can alter the way cells develop and grow. Known EDCs include bisphenol A (BPA) found in food can linings and cash register receipts, phthalates found in plastics and cosmetics, flame retardants and pesticides. The chemicals are so common that nearly every person on Earth has been exposed to one or more

Pain often overlooked in premature infants Premature infants receiving intensive care are exposed to a great deal of pain, and this pain causes damage to the child. Despite this half of the infants admitted to neonatal intensive units will not receive any pain relief.

Hope against disease targeting children A research team has uncovered molecular changes that explain, at least in part, why motor neurons rather than others are affected by the illness. Unlike ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases, which tend to manifest later in life, SMA strikes infants. Unlike ALS, SMA is a genetic disorder that causes a range of outcomes, with the milder form leaving some children confined to wheelchairs, and the more severe form causing paralysis and death before the second birthday

Weight loss surgery offers new hope to children, adolescents with Prader-Willi Syndrome Obesity is a leading cause of complications and death in children suffering from Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), yet there are few effective treatment options for these patients. In a new study, researchers found that bariatric surgery, specifically laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), resulted in substantial weight loss with no apparent adverse effect on growth in a small group of severely overweight patients with PWS. PWS is a rare genetic condition that causes a wide range of problems including a constant desire to consume food, which is driven by a permanent feeling of hunger.

Do mothers react to more info about chemical risks? Mothers who are pregnant or have young children would be expected to be more concerned about protecting their offspring from environmental risks that are reported most in the news, but a new study raises doubts about that conventional wisdom.

Differences found between smokers and nonsmokers who develop lung cancer Tobacco smoke is known to be the main risk factor for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), although non-smokers can get it too. The incidence among non-smokers is increasing in many countries. Now a group of researchers has found significant differences in clinical particularities and survival between smokers and nonsmokers who develop NSCLC.

Algorithm interprets breathing difficulties to aid in medical care Researchers have developed an efficient algorithm that can interpret the wheezing of patients with breathing difficulties to give medical providers information about what's happening in the lungs. The work is part of a larger, ongoing project to develop wearable smart medical sensors for monitoring, collecting and interpreting personal health data.

A human death from rabies is a tragic but rare thing in the United States and most developed nations. It’s just as tragic but sadly common in parts of the world where some 3 billion people are at risk of being bitten by a rabid dog. More than 59,000 people die of rabies each year because they cannot get the care they need. That’s about 1 person dying of rabies every 9 minutes.

Most of these deaths are in Africa and Asia, and nearly half of the victims are children under the age of 15. Many of these lives can be saved if bite victims and healthcare providers know what to do and have what they need —rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin.

“Measures to prevent rabies in people are simple: wash the wound right after you are bitten and get follow-up care and vaccination immediately,” said Ryan Wallace, veterinary epidemiologist with CDC. “However, the primary method of prevention, and the more cost-effective intervention in the fight against rabies, is vaccination of domestic pets, particularly dogs.”

Today is World Rabies Day, an opportunity for people around the world to learn more about the impact that rabies has on people and animals and what each of us can do to put the world on the path toward eliminating rabies. This year’s theme is End Rabies Together, which challenges individuals and organizations to pull together to end the needless suffering and deaths caused by this preventable disease.

The fact that so few people in the United States and other developed nations get rabies shows that the disease can be controlled. Canine rabies has been eliminated in the United States, thanks to routine dog vaccinations and licensing and better control of stray dogs. Since the control of canine rabies in the United States, it has now been recognized that numerous wild animals can be infected with this disease. For that reason, people still must remain aware of the risk of rabies and seek medical care when exposed to wildlife and unusually acting animals.

The Golden Cross Cheese Company Ltd is recalling five batches of Flower Marie Sheep Milk Cheese on a precautionary basis because of the presence of Listeria monocytogenes.Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can cause food poisoning, particularly among key vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, unborn and newborn babies, those over 60 years old, and anyone with reduced immunity.

Product details

Product: Flower Marie Sheep Milk Cheese

Pack size: 200g and 600g

Batch codes: 246, 244, 240, 236, 232

'Best before' date: all date codes

Action taken by the company

The Golden Cross Cheese Company Ltd is recalling the above product and has contacted its customers. A point-of-sale notice will be displayed by businesses selling this product. The notice alerts customers to the recall and advises them of what actions to take if they have bought the product

No other The Golden Cross Cheese Company Ltd products are known to be affected.

If you have bought the above product, do not eat it. Instead, return it to the store that you bought it from for a full refund.

Kiskadee Ventures Limited is recalling freshKIS brand water mint from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below.

The following product was sold at Real Canadian Superstore, 3050 Argentina Road, Mississauga, Ontario.

Recalled products

Brand Name

Common Name

Code(s) on Product

UPC

freshKIS

Water mint

PLU56788 17.09.15

Starting with 256788

What you should do

Check to see if you have recalled products in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.

Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems may contract serious and sometimes deadly infections. Healthy people may experience short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.

TF Supplements of Houston, TX, is voluntarily recalling the following product to the consumer level: RHINO 7 packaged in a bottle containing six (6) capsules WITH LOT# K824B719-P and in a single (1) count capsule hang card with LOT# SU-5102617*RP at the consumer level. Lot numbers are on the back top right of the (1) count and on the side of the (6) count bottle. FDA analysis found these products to contain undeclared desmethyl carbondenafil and dapoxetine. Desmethyl carbondenafil is a phosphodiesterase PDE-5 inhibitor which is a class of drugs used to treat male erectile dysfunction, making these products unapproved new drugs. Dapoxetine is an active ingredient not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Desmethyl carbondenafil may pose a threat to consumers because this PDE-5 inhibitor may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs (such as nitroglycerin) and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels that can be life threatening. Consumers with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease often take nitrates.

Dapoxetine has not been approved by the FDA and therefore its safety or efficacy has not been established. Chemically, dapoxetine belongs to a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) used to treat depression. Studies have shown that antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults when compared to placebo. Therefore, consuming these products presents a health risk which could be life threatening.

TF Supplements has received no reports of illness associated with these products to date.

These products are marketed as dietary supplements for sexual enhancement and packaged in (6) count bottle and (1) count hanging card and distributed to consumers nationwide via are our retail website tfsupplements.com. TF Supplements has discontinued sales of these products.

TF Supplements is notifying its customers via e-mail of this voluntary recall. Consumers that purchased these products from TF Supplements should stop using them immediately and can return the products to :

TF Supplements 6666 Gulf Freeway Houston,TX 77087

Consumers with questions regarding this recall can contact TF Supplements by telephone at 866-620-3586 between (Monday — Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm CST). Consumers should contact their physician or healthcare provider if they have experienced any problems that may be related to taking or using these products.

OC Raw Dog of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA is voluntarily recalling 640 lbs. of Chicken, Fish & Produce Raw Frozen Canine Formulation. This is being done in an abundance of caution, as the product has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. No illnesses have been reported and no other OC Raw Dog manufactured products are affected.

Individuals handling raw pet food can become infected with salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the product or to surfaces exposed to the product. Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms. If a consumer exhibits these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

This voluntary recall is limited to Chicken, Fish & Produce Raw Frozen Canine Formulations that were packaged into 6.5 lb. Doggie Dozen Patties, 4 lb. Doggie Sliders, and 3 lb. Meaty Rox with the lot number 1819, and use by date of 05/05/16. These codes can be checked on the bottom left corner of the back of the package. Distribution is limited to customers in Colorado, Vermont, and Pennsylvania and sold to consumers through independent pet specialty retailers.

The potential for contamination was noted after routine testing by the Colorado Department of Food and Agriculture of a sample that they collected at retailer revealed the presence of Salmonella in a 3 lb. bag of "Chicken, Fish & Produce Raw Frozen Canine Formulations" Meaty Rox. Another sample from the same lot was previously tested by the California Department of Agriculture and it had a negative Salmonella result.

If you are in possession of this recalled product please submit a picture of the package with the lot number toOlivia@ocrawdog.com for verification. Either dispose of the product immediately or return the product to the retailer where you purchased it for a replacement product.

Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-844-215-DOGS (3647) Monday thru Friday 9am - 4pm PST. If you get our automated answering system please leave a message and we will call you right back.

At OC RAW DOG, we are passionate about our products and the safety of canine and human customers is our top priority. We apologize for any inconvenience this recall may have caused.

The peripheral nerves extend from the brain and spinal cord out to the rest of the body. They can be damaged in various ways, including disease and traumatic injuries such as car accidents and battlefield wounds.

A 3-D printed nerve scaffold made to mimic the geometry of the original nerve. Separate biochemical cues were incorporated into the structure to act as guides for sensory neurons (nerve growth factor, green dye) and motor neurons (glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, red dye). Image by the researchers, courtesy of Advanced Functional Materials.

Treatment for peripheral nerve damage depends on the specific injury. Nerve regeneration requires a complex interplay of physical and chemical cues. Current techniques for nerve repair center on grafts, in which a portion of a healthy nerve is taken (harvested) from another part of the body to replace the damaged section. However, grafts require harvesting surgery and are also limited by size and geometry. They can cause a host of problems at the donor site as well, including harmful immune responses, chronic pain, and sensory loss.

A team led by Dr. Michael C. McAlpine at the University of Minnesota, Blake N. Johnson at Virginia Tech, and Dr. Xiaofeng Jia at the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University has been investigating techniques for guiding nerve regeneration. Previous attempts have been limited to linear structures that don’t mimic naturally branching nerves. To create complex, customized structures, the team turned to 3-D printing, in which an object is “printed” by laying down successive layers of material in a pattern based on a digital model. The work was funded in part by NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). It appeared online in Advanced Functional Materialson September 18, 2015.

The team selected the sciatic nerve in rats as a model for regeneration, as it contains a complex, mixed nerve (sensory and motor) system. The researchers removed a section and prepared a cast of the nerve to image using a 3-D light-scanning technique. After conducting scans from various angles, they assembled the images into a 3-D model of the nerve pathway. This model then served as a template for a specialized, custom-built 3-D printer to manufacture a structure mimicking the exact geometry of the original nerve tissue.

The team demonstrated they could use the approach to create anatomically accurate nerve pathways. They verified they could use various materials known to be safe for use in the body, including silicone. Incorporating microgrooves in the structure helped guide nerve fiber growth. They found they could also help direct sensory and motor nerve branches to grow along separate paths by incorporating specific biochemical cues into different parts of the structure.

Once they developed the approach in laboratory experiments, they tested how well the technique could regenerate complex nerve gaps in a rat model. They created 10 mm gaps in the sciatic nerve and treated the animals with customized, 3-D printed nerve scaffolds. Over a 3-month period, the rats’ ability to walk improved significantly.

The team also showed that conventional imaging technologies, such as CT scans and MRI, could be used to make 3-D models of nerves in the body.

“This represents an important proof of concept of the 3-D printing of custom nerve guides for the regeneration of complex nerve injuries,” McAlpine says. “Someday we hope that we could have a 3-D scanner and printer right at the hospital to create custom nerve guides on site to restore nerve function.”